Put things in order by your spoken words!

Judges 4:4-5 (NKJV): Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

The 'house' of Israel was in a 'mess' at that time. Judges 4:1-3 says, 'When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his (Jabin's) army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel'.

It was then that the Lord raised up a Deborah to put the 'house' in order for Israel. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the name 'Deborah' in Hebrew simply means 'bee' (in the sense of orderly motion, from its systematic instincts), and this word comes from the word 'dabar', meaning 'to speak, to declare, to arrange, to appoint'.

One good characteristic of bees is that they just know how to work in unity (work together) to accomplish one common goal, that is 'to make honey'. 'Honey' in this context speaks of 'sweetness', i.e. the result of their 'working together'. Interestingly, this was also one of Deborah's traits! Not only did she put things in order by her spoken words ('dabar'), she also epitomized someone who worked in unity with her fellow brethren for one common purpose - to triumph over the enemy!

Let me explain further.

Judges 4:6-7 says, 'Then she (Deborah) sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?"'

Upon such clear instruction and great promise of victory from the Lord, one would have expected a "Yeah, let it be so! I will go in the name of the Lord my God!" kind of response from Barak, but Alas! look what he actually said to Deborah, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." What an irony, as this was the same Barak mentioned among the "champions of faith" in Hebrews chapter 11!

So how did he eventually make it to the 'hall of fame' among the 'faith heroes'?

The answer is Deborah! She was the key, the figure behind Barak's great exploits for the Lord those days. In other words, without a Deborah, Barak would not be Barak, and he would not have the faith and courage to overcome Sisera (and eventually Jabin king of Canaan)!

Judges 4:9 says, 'So she (Deborah) said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh'.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. When the army of the children of Israel was put in position, and when the right time came, Deborah spoke these words to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?" (Judges 4:14) So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him, and true to His promise, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot (Judges 4:14-15). Sisera later died a tragic death (see Judges 4:17-22).

On that day, God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel, and the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan (Judges 4:23-24).

People of God, the Bible says that 'the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword' (Hebrews 4:12). Deborah to Barak here is a 'picture' of the importance of speaking and declaring 'the Word of God' into every area of your life today, especially so for those areas that have been overcome by much negativity, disappointment, or failure recently. I believe it's not too late yet. Just as in the days of Deborah and Barak, you too can put your 'house' in order again today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Overcoming strife - The Life & Story of Gideon

Judges 6:14 (NKJV): Then the Lord turned to Gideon and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

‘Gideon’ in Hebrew is ‘Gidown’, which means ‘feller (i.e. warrior), to destroy, to fell, to cut’. ‘To fell’ means ‘to cut down, to knock down (with a blow)’. He was called by the Lord to free Israel from the Midianites. Interestingly, the word ‘Midianites’ comes from the word ‘madown’ (or ‘midyan’) in Hebrew which means ‘brawling, contention, strife, quarrel’. Israel then was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites (Judges 6:6), and whatever they have sown in the land, the Midianites would destroy, leaving no sustenance for them. They cried out to the Lord, and that's when He raised up the man Gideon.

Has there been ‘brawling, contention, strife, or quarrel’ in your land? Your ‘land’ may be your family, your business, an organization, or a ministry God has entrusted to you.  You may have tried every way you knew how to overcome your ‘Midianites’, but to no avail. Without peace, harmony, and unity, whatever you’ve tried to ‘sow’ in your ‘land’ may just come to nothing. No wonder the book of Proverbs has so many verses about strife (or contentions), and why these must be cast out! See Proverbs 22:10 for example.

Nothing in the Bible is written without a reason. As you study Gideon’s life (in Judges 6, 7, & 8), you’ll learn great principles in overcoming strife. You’ll learn God’s way to ‘knock down’ strife in your ‘land’. He is definitely raising the Gideons of today, and there’s an anointing to ‘knock down’ the spirit of strife, in Jesus’ name. Receive.

Upon being called by the Lord to save Israel (Judges 6:14-17), Gideon in his own mind and strength actually did not know how to overcome the Midianites. In fact, he even told God, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:15) By the way, ‘Manasseh’ in Hebrew means ‘forgotten, neglected’. So, Gideon was the least among ‘the forgotten and the neglected’! But the Lord sees not as man sees. The Lord saw him ready, and He said, “Surely, I will be with you.”

In spite of his 'weakness', there’s one thing Gideon knew very well. He DID NOT ‘dash’ and go against the Midianites immediately! Instead, He prepared an offering of a young goat and unleavened bread on the rock, and brought them out before the Lord under the terebinth tree (Judges 6:19). Fire then rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. This is a ‘picture’ of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. He has become the burnt offering for you. The angel of God then asked Gideon to pour out the broth of the meat (Judges 6:20). This is a ‘picture’ of you pouring out before God by praying in the Spirit. You may not know what to pray (or what to do) in the situation you are facing now, but the Holy Spirit knows. He helps you in this ‘weakness’ of yours, and makes intercession for you with groaning which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26). The Spirit also makes intercession for you according to the will of God (Romans 8:27). Praying in the Spirit is therefore praying in the perfect will of God. Your groan will reach the throne (of God), and the good news is He already has the answer to every situation of yours!

When you rest in Christ’s finished work on the cross, and as you begin praying in the Spirit (praying in tongues), specific instructions from the Lord will flow out. Be ready to hear & receive. His ways are always higher than your mind can ever imagine! He gives specific instructions for specific situations. Gideon needed that, because Israel’s situation at that time had no precedent. There was no past method he could count on, and definitely no textbook he could read on ‘how to’ overcome this ‘enemy’ called the Midianites! Even today, no two persons are exactly the same, and therefore, no two families, businesses, organizations, or ministries are the same either. Every situation is unique, and that’s why you and I need the Holy Spirit, who is All-knowing. Praise God, as a believer, you have this all-knowing God who has the solution to every situation! He is not just the source of peace (for He is YHWH Shalom), but He is also the source of all wisdom!

And you know what? On the same night, God began giving Gideon specific instructions (Judges 6:25), and he did as the Lord had said (Judges 6:27). People of God, it's worthwhile to wait on the Lord for His specific instructions first before you make a move. When you rest in all that Christ has done for you on the cross, revelation & every good thing will start to flow. As He moves, you move, and as He stops, you stop. And Gideon did just that. Today, God wants you to know that the ‘battle’ is His, not yours. He is surely with you, and He will lead you. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says so. And that’s how God led Gideon to 'progress' against the ‘enemy’. Notice Gideon also sought confirmation (or sign) from the Lord (see Judges 6:36-40).

After Gideon had destroyed the altar of Baal (see Judges 6:28-32), i.e. upon God’s instructions, God gave further instructions. Progressively. People of God, He will never leave you forsaken halfway through the ‘battle’. What He has begun, rest assured He will also bring them to full completion (Philippians 1:6). Keep hearing and keep receiving. This time, God gave Gideon specific instructions on preparing a team (see Judges 7:1-9), and He chose only 300 men. 

Interestingly, ‘300’ in Hebrew numeric means ‘faithful remnant, character of God, protection of God’. In this ‘faithful remnant’, there’s protection! These were also the people who had the character of God, i.e. Gideon’s kind! And these turned out to be those with ‘one heart, one voice’ (in peace, harmony, and unity) with their leader Gideon (Judges 7:17-18), and eventually, the Midianites were overcome and subdued. Wow! God even gave specific instructions to Gideon to pick his winning team! I asked the Lord for revelation why God chose those 300 who ‘lapped (i.e. drink water with tongue) like a dog’ (Judges 7:5-6), and not those who ‘got down on their knees to drink water’, and the Lord had this to say: “Those who lapped like a dog were those who were hungry for My things, people after My heart, as the deer panteth for the water brooks in Psalm 42:1-2, but those who knelt were people who cared about position and recognition.”  And these 'would-be' followers were ‘tested’ by their leader (Gideon) without even knowing they were being ‘tested’! This is definitely a great leadership principle! Praise the Lord! God is great!

People of God, you may think you are too 'weak' to overcome your 'Midianites' at the moment, but HE IS STRONG! And that's what matters most! So, go in this STRENGTH (for YHWH is in you) of yours, and you shall save your 'land' from the 'Midianites'! Amen.